Echinacea plant named ‘Moab Sunset’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of  Echinacea  plant characterized by enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence, strong orange ray florets and orange disc florets, ray florets which are mostly held horizontally to drooping, a short, upright habit with excellent color retention, and excellent vigor.

Botanical classification: Echinacea spp.

Varietal denomination: ‘Moab Sunset’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant having the varietal name ‘Moab Sunset’. The new variety was discovered in Canby, Oreg. as the result of a planned breeding program for a landscape series with the purposes of providing Echinacea plants with compact habits and profuse, double inflorescences. The exact parents of ‘Moab Sunset’ are unknown, unnamed, unpatented, and proprietary interspecilk hybrids bred from Echinacea paradoxa, Echinacea purpurea, and Echinacea tennesseensis.

When ‘Moab Sunset’ is compared to Echinacea spp. variety named ‘TNECHCMY’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,142), ‘Moab Sunset’ exhibits a more upright growth habit. Further, the following characteristics distinguish ‘Moab Sunset’ when generally compared to other Echinacea varieties known to the breeder:

-   -   Enlarged disc florets forming an anemone-type inflorescence;     -   Medium orange ray florets and orange-red with orange disc         florets;     -   Ray florets which are mostly held horizontally to drooping;     -   A short, upright habit with excellent color retention; and     -   Excellent vigor.         The new variety has been asexually reproduced in Canby, Oreg.         and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics and         remain true to type through successive asexual propagations.         Propagation was conducted in tissue culture using standard         micropropagation techniques by dividing terminal and lateral         shoats. Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics         to the original plant. The present invention has not been         evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The         phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a         change in the genotype of the plant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographic drawings illustrate the new variety, with the color being as nearly true as is possible with color illustrations of this type:

FIG. 1 shows a 17-month old plant of the new variety growing in the trial field in full sunset in early July in Canby, Oreg. and

FIG. 2 shows a 7-month old plant of hie new variety growing in the trial field in full sunset in late July in Canby, Oreg.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following detailed description sets forth the characteristics of the new variety based on observations of 17-month old plants growing in the trial bed in full sunset in Canby, Oreg. Canby is in Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95° F. in August to an average of 32° F. in January. Normal rainfall is 42.8 inches per year in the trial fields in Canby, Oreg. Color references are primarily to The 2007 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London, 5^(th) Edition.

PLANT

-   Type: Herbaceous perennial.     -   -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 4 to 9.         -   Size.—38.0 cm wide and 40.0 cm tall to the top of             inflorescences.         -   Form.—Basal clump, with about 19 stems from the base.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, with many downward growing and few laterals.             Yellow-White Group RHS 158D in color. Roots develop easily             from cuttings from the crown.         -   Seeds.—None observed.         -   Fertility.—None.         -   Disease and pests.—No pests or diseases have been observed             on plants grown under commercial conditions in Canby. Oreg.             No resistances are known.         -   Stem (flowering).—Type: Ascending, with 1 to 6             inflorescences per stem. Size: Up to 35.0 cm tall to a             terminal inflorescence and 5.0 mm wide at the base.             Strength: Excellent. Internode length: 2.0 to 5.0 cm.             Surface texture: Strigose. Rugosity: Absent. Variegation:             Absent. Color: Yellow-Green Group RHS 147B.         -   Leaf (basal).—Type: Simple. Shape: Lanceolate. Arrangement:             Alternate, with about 15 leaves on the main stem. Blade             size: Up to 14.0 cm long and 5.5 cm wide. Margins: Sparsely             serrate to entire. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Surface             texture: Strigose on both sides. Rugosity: Absent. Venation:             Pinnate and Yellow-Green Group RHS 145A on both sides.             Variegation: Absent. Color: The topside is Green Group RHS             N137D and the bottom side is closest to Yellow-Green Group             RHS 146A. Petiole description: Clasping, up to 3.0 cm long             and 3.0 mm wide, scabrous, narrow leafy edges, and both             sides are Yellow-Green Group RHS 148D.         -   Leaf (stem).—Type: Simple. Shape: Lanceolate. Arrangement:             Alternate, with about 14 leaves on the main stem. Blade             size: Up to 11.0 cm long and 2,2 cm wide. Margins: Sparsely             serrate to entire. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Surface             texture: Strigose on both sides. Rugosity: Absent. Venation:             Pinnate and Yellow-Green Group RHS 147C on both sides.             Variegation: Absent. Color: The topside is Green Group RHS             N137C and the bottom side is closest to Green Group RHS             137B. Petiole description: Clasping, up to 4.0 cm long and             3.0 mm wide, scabrous, narrow leafy edges, and both sides             are Yellow-Green Group RHS 145C.

INFLORESCENCE

-   Type: Composite, on terminal stalked heads.     -   -   Flowering stem.—24.0 cm tall from the base of the plant to             the terminal leaves below the peduncle; branched, with 1 to             5 inflorescences per stem; diameter growing to 5.0 mm wide             near the inflorescence; strigose; Yellow-Green Group RHS             145A and shaded with Greyed-Purple Group RHS 183A.         -   Peduncle.—13.0 cm long from above the terminal leaves to the             flower; 3.0 cm wide; strigose; Yellow-Green Group RHS 146C.         -   Size.—Up to 6.0 cm wide and 5.0 cm deep as disc enlarges.         -   Form.—Ray florets are held slightly down, reflexing more in             older inflorescences. The mature disc is rounded.         -   Immature inflorescence (bud).—2.3 cm wide and 2.0 cm deep;             ray florets are held mostly upright and rolled up so only             the back color of Orange Group RHS 25A shows; the disc color             is Green Group RHS 143A.         -   Ray florets.—Ligulate; curvature is absent; without pistils             or stamens; up to 17 in number; 42.0 mm long and 11.0 mm             wide; ohianceolate with the tip being three-toothed (each             acute); teeth cut 2.0 to 5.0 mm deep; florets with an entire             margin; base attenuate; glabrous on both sides; horizontal             to drooping attitude at origin; newly fully open florets             having a topside of Greyed-Orange Group RHS 168 and a bottom             side of Greyed-Orange Group RHS 169A; florets darken to             Greyed-Orange Group RHS 169A near the base, blending to             Orange-Red Group RHS 31A at the top, with a bottom side of             Greyed-Orange Group RHS 169A.         -   Disc.—Anemone; flat becoming conic to 35.0 mm deep and 65.0             mm wide with maturity; overall color of Greyed-Orange Group             RHS 169A.         -   Disc florets.—Curvature weakly reflexed; about 422 in             number; mature flowers having 1 pistil and 4 stamens each;             up to 20.0 mm long and 10.0 mm wide; each with one             persistent, very stiff, linear bract (8.0 mm long, with 3.0             mm Greyed-Orange Group RHS 169A at apex blending to 3.0 mm             Greyed-Orange Group RHS 169B to Greyed-Orange Group RHS 172A             at base); showy 3 to 5-lobed corollas up to 22.0 mm long and             10.0 mm wide that are tubular on the bottom with the lobes             spread out like a fan if 3-lobed (if 4 or 5-lobed, the extra             lobes are linear segments) that are glabrous on both sides             with a back side of Orange-Red Group RHS 31B and Orange-Red             Group RHS N30B on the inside; pistil is 10.0 mm long; ovary             is 3.5 mm long and White Group RHS NN155A; style is 5.0 mm             long and White Group RHS 155A; 2-branched stigma spreading             2.0 mm wide and Yellow-Orange Group RHS 14B; stamen is 4.0             mm long and thread-like; anthers are 1.5 mm long and             Grey-Brown Group RHS N199A; filaments are 2.5 mm long and             White Group RHS 155A; no pollen present.         -   Involucral bracts.—In 4 leafy series with an area that grows             to 32.0 mm wide and 12.0 mm deep; lobes are lanceolate in             shape, reflexed, grow to 7.0 mm long and 3.0 mm wide, Green             Group RHS N137C, margins strigose, tip acute, strigose on             both sides.         -   Receptacle.—Up to 15.0 mm wide and 15.0 mm deep; White Group             RHS NN155B.         -   Bloom period.—June through October in Canby, Oreg.         -   Fragrance.—Light.         -   Lastingness.—Each inflorescence lasts about two weeks on the             plant in Canby, Oreg. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Echinacea plant named ‘Moab Sunset’, as is herein illustrated and described. 